A Viper Among Lions
by NephilimLatina
Summary: Myriah never had to worry about marriage, she was Prince Doran of House Martell eldest child and heir to Sunspear but when the King decides to form an alliance through marriage between the houses Martell and Lannister, Myriah is forced to marry the man that caused the deaths of her aunt and cousins, will the viper prevail in the lion's den?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Game Of Thrones or any of its characters, all I own is my OC.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

Marriage, it had never been a word that Myriah feared, as the eldest child of Prince Doran Martell of Dorne, she was the heir to Sunspear. She didn't have to worry about being sold off to some Lord of any powerful house, or so she thought.

Her father had once promised her that she would get to choose with whom she would have to spend the rest of her life. Prince Doran himself had married out of love to a noble woman from the free city of Norvos, a woman named Mellario. He wanted nothing less for his children, lies, the truth was that her father had been secretly planning to marry her to the Dragon Prince, Viserys Targaryen.

What angered her wasn't the fact that she would have to marry the Targaryen boy, she knew that one day that would have made her a Queen, she would be lying if she said that she didn't like the sound of Queen Myriah of House Martell, it was her father's lies what deeply hurt her, he never had any intentions of giving her a choice on the matter yet he gave her the illusion that she did.

Unfortunately, fate had other plans for her, Myriah would forever recall the day that that letter reached the Water Gardens, the summer home of the Martells. Myriah and her uncle, Prince Oberyn, had been visiting her father there.

King Robert wanted to form an alliance through marriage between the houses Martell and Lannister in hopes to end the… animosities between the families. Her uncle was the second to found out about this, after her father of course, to say that he was enraged would have been an understatement. In that moment he truly resembled a viper, ready to strike as he paced from one side of the room to another, screaming and shouting his hatred for the Lannisters and the King.

Myriah overheard part of the discussion, she couldn't stay in the shadows anymore when she understood that she was going to be married off to a Lannister. She entered the room and yelled at her father, he wasn't happy to say the least, he absolutely hated when she intentionally overheard his conversations, he always scolded her for that, only this time it wasn't intentionally and she didn't care about being scolded.

Prince Oberyn left them to speak, satisfied with his niece's reaction, he expected nothing less from her but things were about to get significantly worse, for her.

At first Myriah thought that they were going to make her marry the Kingslayer, in that moment of rage she completely forgot about the obvious fact that he was a member of the Kingsguard, he could not marry or fathered any children.

"It's not the Kingslayer" her father had told her.

 _The imp then, oh how they must be laughing of me in this very moment, the dornish Princess marrying the imp_ , she thought. How much she would come to regret that later, when her father finally told her what Lannister she was going to be forced to marry.

"You will marry Lord Tywin" her father's words sent a cold chill down her spine.

 _Lord Tywin?, do the Gods truly hate me that much?_ , she thought. Myriah never imagined she would rather marry the imp over any other man but she would gladly be his wife if that meant she would be spared of being _his_ wife.

One thing was to be married into that family and another one entirely was to be married to the man himself, the man that allowed the Mountain to rape and kill Elia Martell and her children, presenting their butchered bodies to the King as if they were animals he had just hunt, the lion of Casterly Rock.

Myriah tried to look fierce as she lifted her chin proudly and looked her father in the eye but the truth was that, for the first time in her life, she was terrified.

"No, I will not do it, I don't care if it's a direct order from the King, I will _not_ marry that man".

"I'm afraid you don't have a choice" he said solemnly.

Myriah sighed as she looked at the sky, it's was a typical sunny day in Sunspear yet there seemed to be a cloud over her head that refused to leave her alone.

She wasn't angry at her father, at least not as much as before, she understood his position, he had been presented with a difficult situation, he could either reject the proposed alliance between the families and risk insulting the King –and possibly be accused of treason– or accept and face the wrath of his own family.

Either way Prince Doran was putting his family in great danger, the Lannisters could not be trusted and Myriah feared she would not be strong enough to survive in the lion's den, not that she would ever say that outloud.

"If you keep brooding you are going to get wrinkles".

Myriah said nothing, nor did she look at her uncle. Oberyn sighed. He walked over and sat next to her on the bench.

This was the first time she left her room since they arrive back at Sunspear, it was also her last day in Dorne. Myriah wanted to memorize every detail, she wanted to forget nothing about her childhood home.

"You don't have to do this" he said to her after a moment of silence "The King be damned, you can't marry that man".

Myriah was tired of yelling her discontent with the situation just to be ignored everytime, her consent simply didn't matter, as much as it angered her she had to admit it.

She knew her father had already sent a raven to the King, giving his permission for the wedding –as if any of them had a choice– why keep fighting against the stream?, that would do her no good.

Myriah has not spoken to her father since that dreadful day, she didn't even read the letter he sent her a couple of days ago, let alone answering it, she simply tossed it into the fire without a second look, it was her childish way of letting him know that she still had not forgive him completely for going behind her back and try to arrange a marriage to the Dragon Prince but she was starting to regret not doing so.

Her mind was starting to play wicked games with her, throwing questions like 'What if you never see him again?', 'What if that fight ends up being the last memory?'. _No, I will see him again, I will see them all again_ , she kept telling herself.

"I don't care if we have to go to war" Oberyn continued, bringing her out of her thoughts.

"No" she quickly said, finally looking him in the eye "I will do it".

He was already looking at her, trying to read her mind, trying to understand why now, after all the hurtful words and yelling, she changed her mind and decided that she was going to follow orders.

Myriah had been thinking a lot about the situation, ever since she came back to Sunspear. She needed to think like her father, now she was part of the great game, she needed to be smart and cautious, like a snake that moves swiftly through the grass, getting close to its victim, ready to strike when the prey's guard is down.

She could use her position as the wife of Lord Tywin to bring the Lannisters to their knees or she could end up like her aunt. Myriah pushed that thought aside, that was not going to happen, not to her.

Of one thing she was sure, she would make Lord Tywin regret the day he decided to marry her.

"I know what I have to do, uncle, there is no other way".

"There is always another way".

"Is the best way for Dorne".

Oberyn shook his head and frowned, she was so much like her father, putting her people first, she would have been a good ruling Princess.

"You don't know what you are walking yourself into".

"What are our words? 'Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken' " she answered her own question before he could say a word "I know I am walking into the lion's den, it is the Lannister that have not realized what kind of viper they are letting in".

Her words made him smile like a proud father but he was still worried about her future, she was young and never before she has had to deal with the lies and schemes of the capitol, politics worked different there, the Rock wasn't any better, no place under the Lannister's control would ever be safe for her.

As they continued to watch the sunset Oberyn imagined all the ways he would hurt Tywin Lannister if he ever hurt his niece. He pictured his dying body on the floor as he choked on his own blood.

If the King thought this marriage was the end of the dispute he was terribly wrong, one day he would kill the old lion and his dog, the Mountain, for what they did to his family, only then they would finally be at peace.

* * *

All of this was Robert's fault, him and that old man he had for Hand, they did this, Cersei cursed them both, Jon Arryn for coming up with this and Robert for agreeing.

At first she tried to convince Robert to marry the girl to Tyrion but Jon Arryn said that that wasn't a good idea, he believed that if they were to say that to the Martells they would get offended, Cersei's own father had once offered her little brother to Elia Martell, they did not take it well, so Robert chose to listen to his Hand and ignore his wife, as usual.

The whole point of this arrangement was to create peace between the families, Cersei couldn't care less about that, she was ready to kill the little whore with her own bare hands when Robert offered to release Jaime from his oath so he could marry her, Cersei wasn't going to allow anyone to take Jaime from her side, anyone but it was her father who decided to step up and marry the dornish Princess himself.

Cersei cursed the Martells, she was counting on them refusing Robert's request but surprisingly, this morning came the answer. Prince Doran would be sending his daughter to King's Landing for the wedding, she would be accompanied by her uncle, Prince Oberyn, due to her father's poor health, Cersei didn't liked this, not one bit.

"Come back to bed" said Jaime. He was growing tired of his sister paranoid behavior.

"They are planning something" she said as she continued to pace across the room.

"Who?".

"The Martells" the annoyance was clear on her voice, as if he was supposed to know what she was talking about.

He should have known, lately this seemed to be the center of every damn conversation on King's Landing. Jaime wondered if people on other parts of Westeros were talking about it too, he didn't truly care about the answer, it was annoying either way.

Jaime lay across the bed in all his naked glory, with his hands behind his head, watching his sister carefully.

To be honest Jaime had already forgot about his father's engagement. He knew his father was happy with it –as happy as Lord Tywin could get– although he probably was more happy with the idea of producing a suitable heir than the idea of remarrying itself.

For a moment Jaime thought that Cersei would rip Robert's head off when he told her the news, she yelled and yelled until Robert slapped her across the face. It have taken all his will power not to kill him right there, like he killed the Mad King, what would it matter? he was already a Kingslayer.

"The Martells blame our father for the death of Elia Martell and her children, yet they agree to marry their Princess to him".

"Well, it's not like Robert left much room for complains".

"I do not like this" Jaime sighed.

"This give us an advantage, the Martells wouldn't dare to make a move against us, not while we have their precious jewel".

Cersei scoffed at the nickname, she had hear it so many times, she swore if she heard one more person talk about the beauty of the dornish Pprincess she would kill that person herself.

"They will use her against us".

Jamie got up from the bed and walked slowly over his twin sister.

"You are being paranoid" he tried to kiss her but she pushed him away.

"How can you not see the magnitude of the problem?!" she yelled "If that dornish bitch gets pregnant they are going to take away from us everything that is rightfully ours, if she gives father a son he will be the Lord of Casterly Rock and not you".

"Then so be it" Cersei glared at him "You know I cannot own any land and father would set Casterly Rock on fire before giving it to Tyrion".

"The dornishmen are like snakes, no doubt their Princess will be the same, she will bewitch father and she will put him against us".

"Father is no fool, he knows how to handle people".

"All men are fools when it comes to women".

Jaime grabbed her and pulled her roughly to him, making her gasp. He kissed her, Cersei allowed him to kiss her for a moment but then she pushed him away. Jaime growled in frustration.

"Let our father have his fun and let us have ours" he kissed her again before she could protest any further.

There was no way Cersei would let this go, he knew his sister very well. Deep inside he pitied the girl, Cersei would made her life a living hell but right now none of that mattered to him, all he could think of was Cersei and how her body fit perfectly with his when he hold her, how soft were her lips against his.

Cersei allowed him to drag her back to the bed, she would deal with the girl later.

* * *

Myriah walked down the stairs of Sunspear, her handmaid, a young girl named Larra Sand, close to her side. She was to stay with her Princess by Myriah's request.

Myriah looked back at the castle, trying to save every detail into her memory. Sunspear was a grand beautiful castle, with sand colored walls and stone slabs, it had three towers, the Spear Tower, the Sandship and the Tower of the Sun, the latter contained the Prince of Dorne's throne room, how many times Myriah had pictured herself sitting on that throne, now she never would.

Everyone was ready to leave, they were waiting for her. A feel of helplessness invaded Myriah, she wanted nothing more than go back to her room and lock herself there but she wasn't a child anymore, she couldn't simply runaway from her problems, so she put on her mask of fake confidence and walked over the group of soldiers that were going to escort her to the capital.

Her uncle was chatting with Daemon Sand, she was curious about what they were speaking, no doubt her uncle was making very clear what was going to happen to him if he failed to do his job, the Red Viper was very protective of his family, it worried her that he would try to do something stupid once they reached their destination.

Daemon was to stay with her too, it was the only protection her family could provide her right now, it might not seem much but it gave her a small sense of assurance. She had known Daemon since they were children, he was only two years older than her, he was a good friend, an excellent knight and fine warrior, he would die for her of that she had no doubt.

Myriah looked around, she didn't saw any of her cousins, not that she really expected them to be there for her, to say goodbye.

The Sand Snakes were very clear about their thoughts on this matter, they wanted her to refuse the King's orders, much like their father, they were willing to go to war, to fight for her as long as she said no but Myriah said yes and they felt like she betrayed them. A part of her felt like she betrayed them too but could they not see that her hands were tied?.

Unlike their father, they saw her as a traitor instead of the victim, the Sand Snakes would stop acknowledging her as family the moment Lord Tywin put his red and gold cloak over her, this filled her with both sadness and anger.

"Sister" her brother's voice brought her out of her melancholy thoughts.

Myriah's dark eyes looked into his slightly lighter ones. Trystane was trying so hard to look strong, he was only ten but he was very matured for his age, although he still was too innocent, too pure for this world. He was honorable, that could make him a good ruling Prince one day but sometimes having honor it's all it takes to get killed.

Trystane opened his mouth to say something but he closed it again when he realized he didn't know what to say. There were so many things he wanted to tell her and yet now that he was in front of her, his mind went blank. He had been trying to talk to her since she came back to Sunspear but she shut everyone out, he wasn't sure if it was because of the engagement or because of their cousins turning their backs on her, maybe both.

"Oh brother, come here" she hugged him tightly "I will miss you so much".

He wanted to cry then but he didn't allow himself to, he didn't need to, Myriah knew he was devastated, she hated that she had to leave him behind.

Despite of having married out of love, the marriage between Prince Doran and Lady Mellario had not been very happy. Mellario had not been able to get used to the dornish customs, which were so different from the norvoshi customs. One day she decided to return to Norvos and she never came back, leaving both of her children behind.

Trystane was very young when that happened, being almost ten years older than him, Myriah was forced to step up into the mother's role, for her little brother's sake. At first it annoyed her that he clinged to her all the time, following her around like a lost puppy but she loved him with all her heart so she took care of him.

"I will miss you too, sister".

Trystane wasn't happy about the engagement either but he was always less volatile than her when angered –or at any situation– so he didn't make a scene when their uncle informed him of the news.

"Be strong, sweet brother" she pulled away from him to look him in the eye, she grabbed his face gently with her hands "You are the heir to Sunspear now".

"I won't disappoint you" she smiled and caressed his cheek, gently, like a mother would.

"I know you won't".

"We will see each other again" he said, it sounded almost as if he was trying to reassure himself.

"Yes, we will".

"Myriah" they both looked at their uncle "Time to go".

She nodded and looked at her brother one last time. Myriah gave him a kiss on the forehead before following her uncle.

Trystane stood there, his heart filled with despair. Ser Gascoyne –the young Prince's swornshield– approached him, he put a hand on his shoulder and squeeze a little, trying to comfort him but he failed. Tears started running down his cheeks then, the boy barely noticed.

As Trystane watched his sister leave their home to never come back, he felt like he was losing his mother all over again.

* * *

"Good morning family" said Jaime as he entered the room. The rest of the family was already seated and eating.

Tyrion looked like the wine from the previous night was a little bit too much. Cersei had a look of disgust on her face as she watched their younger brother. Tywin looked like he couldn't care less about his children's mood. The only one that seemed to be in a good mood was Jamie.

"So, tell me father, how does it feel to be engaged to a girl less than half of your age?" Tywin sent him a warning look, one that passed unnoticed by his eldest son.

"Can we not talk about our father's bride to be?" said Tyrion as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Why not?, don't tell me your not curious".

"Curious about what?".

"About why in the Seven Hells, he dedices to marry a Martell".

Tyrion had been surprised by the news too, from all the ladies from all the noble houses in Westeros that his father could have chosen, he decided to marry a girl from the one house that hated him the most.

Tyrion knew that it had not been his father idea, he knew that Cersei had suggest him but that Robert refused. _A dwarf is not good enough for a dornish Princess_ , Tyrion thought with bitterness.

He had expected the King to released Jamie from his oaths and force him to marry the Martell girl, Tyrion was _not_ expecting his father to decide to marry her himself but it made sense now that he had time to think about it, the girl was to be his second chance at getting a suitable heir, one that would not shame him like he did.

His father probably thought this would give him an advantage over the Martells, it was a smart move, Tyrion knew that but he would be surprised if the girl didn't killed his father on their wedding night, it would be foolish to underestimate the Martell's hatred.

"Some of us are not fond of our family meddling in personal affairs".

"Are you comparing Princess Myriah to your whores?" the golden lion smirked.

Jamie knew this would infuriate their father, he didn't care. Before Tyrion could say a word, Cersei spoke first.

"There would not be much of a difference" she took a sip of wine from her cup.

"Enough!" Tywin voice roared through the room like a lion's roar, making all his children go quiet "The next time any of you decide to speak of Princess Myriah will be with the proper respect".

"Father" Cersei spoke in a sickly sweet tone, one that almost made Tyrion roll his eyes "She is dornish, you know what people say about dornish women".

She was trying to manipulate him, Tyrion noticed, to turn him against the girl before she even arrived. _Well, she certainly doesn't waste time_ , he thought.

"Prince Doran gave me his word that his daughter is a maiden" Cersei looked like she was about to say something more but Tywin spoke first "I will hear no more of this" was all he said before he resumed on eating his meal.

None of them talked after that, even Jaime seemed to get the cue that their father was not in the mood.

Tyrion watched the calculating look his sister face with concern, he knew that she would stop at nothing until she destroyed the poor girl.

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _Hello there, thank you for giving this story a try, I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it =)_

 _I apologize beforehand for my bad english, feel free to let me know if I misspelled a word, if you can't tell by my user name, english is not my mother tongue, I kinda learned the language on my own and I'm still learning so... yeah, there might be a mistake here and there._

 _The story starts around a year and a half before the events on season one, episode one. Myriah is nineteen years old when she marries Tywin._

 _Fair warning, this isn't a Tywin/OC love story, I haven't decided yet if I want Myriah to have a love interest, she may get one down the road but I can assure you this won't be focusing on a love storyline so if you are looking for that this isn't the story for you._

 _This is the first Game of Thrones fanfic that I do, I will be following the tv show mostly, although I may or may not take a few things from the books, I also will have few twists of my own of course. There won't be Arianne, no Quentyn, just Trystane and my OC, Myriah._

 _I want to clarify that Myriah is not Arianne, even though they both have the same swornshield, Daemon Sand –who may be a little OC in my story– and they both were originally planned to marry Viserys, they are nothing alike, you will see as the story unfolds._

 _Although this is not the first story that I have written, it's the first story that I publish, let me know what you think, constructive criticism is more than welcome._

 _I hope you like it, have a nice day/night xoxoxo_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Game Of Thrones or any of its characters, all I own is my OC.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 2_**

The young Princess didn't find King's Landing as beautiful as many have told her it was supposed to be, even Oldtown was far more pleasing than this shit hole.

Myriah didn't talk much on their journey, Oberyn noticed this with concern, her handmaiden had been trying to make her talk, she answered occasionally with a 'yes' or a nod. Even Daemon tried to lighten up the mood by making occasional jokes that under other circumstances would have made her laugh, none of them succeeded.

She was always a quiet girl, often preferring to stick her nose on a book rather than practicing fighting with her cousins –she wasn't particularly good at it anyway– but she was also very social, going mute was very unlike her.

"Are you afraid?" Oberyn had asked her.

"No" her voice sounded monotone and Oberyn had not been able to tell if she was lying or not.

"You should be".

Myriah shoot him a look, if that was his way of comforting her, he was failing miserably but it was the truth, only a fool would not be afraid of marrying Tywin Lannister, he was not a man capable of great sympathy, Castamere could attest to that.

All the words of encouragement that she had been saying to herself faded away the moment she saw the Red Keep through the window of her litter, Myriah felt her heart sank but she kept her face void from all emotion, there was no going back now.

Myriah put on one of her best of smiles as the doors of the throne room cracked open. If anyone were to look at her they would think that she was actually happy.

She walked towards the King, chin lifted in a proud way, her arm laced with her uncle's, her grip on his arm was tight, revealing just how nervous she actually was. Oberyn squeezed her hand to encourage her.

"Your grace, may I present you to my darling niece, Princess Myriah of House Martell, daughter of Prince Doran Martell and Lady Mellario of Norvos".

Oberyn spoke smoothly while motioning to his niece, a charming smile graced his handsome face the whole time, Myriah wasn't the only one pretending.

Myriah bowed gracefully to the King, she didn't miss the way his eyes flicked to her chest for a small moment and then back to her face.

She was glad she decided to ditch the dornish tradition of wearing a veil, she didn't want to have to walk around in that hideous thing, she wanted to see their faces properly when she first walked into court. She knew she would call everyone's attention, she figured out that her light pink dress would be considered revealing by the capitol's standards, here the ladies seemed to dress so prude. Myriah didn't entirely do it on propose, it was the way she always dressed, to her it wasn't scandalous, it was rather normal, although she did love to see the jaws dropping, she couldn't deny that.

The King welcomed them to the capitol, Myriah tried to focus on what the King was saying but she found the task to be more difficult than she expected as _he_ continued to look at her. Myriah had yet to look at the Lion Lord, she had not gathered the courage to do so but she could feel his eyes on her the whole time.

Myriah's eyes crossed with the green ones of the golden lioness. The Queen was beautiful, she was dressed in Lannister colors, her golden hair was braided atop of her head and she was wearing her crown, she had a lion necklace, the seal of her house. Myriah bowed to her.

"Your grace, rumors do you no justice, you truly are the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms".

Cersei didn't say anything to her nor she offered a smile, she just stared at the Princess for a moment, it made Myriah uncomfortable but she hid it with a smile.

The girl was good looking, she would give her that, with bronze olive skin, black straight hair and almond-shaped eyes as dark as obsidian. Cersei could see why they called her Dorne's jewel, she was probably the most decent looking girl in that wretched desert, she certainly wasn't insipid like her dead aunt had been but beauty does not equal innocence, and Cersei knew how to look beyond beauty, she recognized a snake when she saw one.

Cersei didn't like the gleam of cunning in her eyes, she had been hoping to manipulate her into her own downfall somehow but she knew now that the girl wouldn't be so easy to control, that made things more difficult.

The Queen surprised her when she suddenly walked over her and embraced her, caughting her completely off guard. Myriah tensed at first but immediately forced herself to relax, she wrapped her arms around the lioness tentatively, as if her skin was full of needles and she would prick herself if she squeezed too tight. The hug didn't last more than a few seconds.

"No need for such formalities, soon we are going to be family" the Queen offered her a smile, one that didn't reach her eyes. Myriah returned the smile with equal honesty.

Then came the moment to finally meet face to face with her intended. He was a tall, slender, broad-shouldered man, he had blonde hair and green eyes flecked with gold. Myriah had no doubt that he was a very good looking man in his youth, despite being in his early fifties he didn't looked so bad, quite the opositte, he was very handsome but not even all the beauty in the world could make it up for the ugliness inside. Tywin Lannister had a calculating, intelligent look, his eyes were cold and analytic, if the tales weren't enough one look and you could tell he was not a man to be messed with.

He approached her and planted a kiss on her knuckles, he didn't smiled, nor did he waste time in false flattery but he looked somewhat pleased with her appearance. _So he does finds me attractive_ , she thought.

Myriah sensed the Queen's eyes on her again, when she look at her she found hate and jealousy in her previous cold eyes. When their eyes crossed she looked away casually, as if something far more interesting have caught her eye.

Myriah didn't know what to make of the Queen just yet but she had a feeling that, behind all the fake smiles and the compliments, laid a dangerous enemy, one that should not be underestimated.

* * *

The King decided to throw a feast to welcome the dornish party, tomorrow would be the wedding, it was rather tedious, two parties in two days.

Myriah was expecting for the wedding to take place as soon as they reached King's Landing, not that she was keen to marry _him_ , she just wanted to be done with it before she changed her mind and decided to throw herself out of the highest tower she could find.

Tywin Lannister was a very busy man, surely he had things to take care of back at Casterly Rock and wanted to be back soon as possible, with her by his side. Myriah was having troubles picturing herself as the Lady of the Rock but knew that would probably be the easy part of their marriage.

Myriah was sitting in front of the mirror of the room she was accommodated in. She brushed her wet hair, she had just came out of a much needed bath. Most ladies had their hairs brushed by their handmaidens but Myriah liked to do it herself.

She had yet to speak with her intended, she dreaded the moment but knew it was inevitable.

"What about this one?" asked Larra while she held another potential gown for the feast.

Larra was about the same age as Myriah, she had dark skin and thick curly black hair, she was a bastard from a Lord of one of her father's vassal houses and her mother was a former slave from the Summer Islands.

"Too boring" Myriah answered without even looking at the dress.

"You said that about the last five dresses, Princess".

"Because they all are dull and boring".

Larra sighed, the Princess's gowns were many things but dull and boring weren't words she would use to described them.

"Are you sure this is about the gowns or is it…?" Myriah stopped brushing her hair and turned to glare at her handmaiden and friend.

"I told you I don't want to talk about it".

Myriah knew it wasn't fair that she was being so difficult with Larra, it wasn't her fault that she had to marry a Lannister but she couldn't help it, now that she was in her room, her fear was starting to turn into bitterness.

Myriah was about to apologize to Larra for her rude behavior when someone knocked on the door. They exchanged looks before Larra went to open the door.

"What do you want?" she heard Larra said "the Princess is busy".

"Who is it?".

"One of the Queen's handmaidens, she says she has a gift from the Queen".

"Send her in".

Larra reluctantly stood aside while fully opening the door, allowing a young girl into the room. The girl quickly entered and went to place a dress on her bed, then she took a couple of steps back, never once raising her eyes from the floor. Myriah stood up and went to examine the gift.

"The Queen welcomes you to the capitol, she wants you to know that you can go to her if you need something, anything" the girl's voice matched her appearance, she was like a scared little mouse, trembling like a leaf.

Myriah couldn't help but wonder, was it her that had the girl so scared or was it the Queen?. _What do they do to their servants to make them so scared?_ , she wondered.

"So kind of her" the sarcasm on her voice was more than evident, Larra bit her lip to prevent herself from laughing "Please, give our lovely Queen my gratitude for both the gift and her warm welcome, I shall go to her at once if I ever need something".

"Yes, my Lady".

"She's not a Lady, you fool, she's a Princess" Larra was quick to correct her.

The girl went pale, thinking she probably offended the Princess. Myriah sent a disapproving look at Larra.

"It's alright, soon I will be a lady anyway" she offered the girl a smile and she seemed to relax, just a little "Go now, I'm sure the Queen will like to hear of my reply as soon as possible, let's not keep her waiting".

Larra escorted the girl out of her room, who bowed to her sharply before she left. Larra closed the door and turned around to face the Princess, she went to stand behind her waiting for her to say something.

Myriah traced her fingers over the soft fabric of the gown, it was crimson red with golden embroideries, a magnificent gown for a true Lannister Lady.

In a quick glance, back at the throne room, Myriah had noticed that all the Ladies at the court seemed to imitate the Queen's style, was she expecting her to become one of the bunch?, she doubt it, the lioness didn't strike her as a naïve woman.

"Are you going to wear it to the feast?" Larra decided to break the silence.

"It would be rude not to".

"It's very beautiful".

Myriah simply nodded, she seemed to be contemplating something.

"I want it burned once I'm done with it" Myriah walked away from the dress, going behind the changing screen. Larra smiled and grabbed the dress.

"As you wish".

Larra helped her to get ready for the feast, despite wearing a dress fit for a Lannister, the rest of her screamed Martell. She did her hair in a dornish way, adding some jewelry to it, her neck was adorned with a delicate golden chain with a pendant of her house's sigil, a red sun pierced by a golden spear.

Myriah had just finished adding the last details to her hair when someone knocked on her door again. She knew it was time for the feast so she assumed it was her uncle that came to escort her but it wasn't him, her eyes widen when she saw the old lion himself.

"Lord Tywin" she tried and failed to hide her surprise.

"Princess Myriah".

She forced a smile on her face, one that she hoped it look genuine enough. Tywin took a moment to take in her appearance, Myriah wasn't surprised when she saw he was pleased with her, most likely because she was wearing Lannister colors.

Myriah was well aware of her good looks, she knew the effect she had on any man that gazed upon her, an exotic beauty some had called her before, Myriah once wondered if it was because of her norvoshi blood.

Sarella –her uncle's fourth daughter– have often tried to convince her to use what was between her legs to her advantage but Myriah refused to do so, not because of what other people might think of her –those kind of things weren't so frowned upon in Dorne anyway– but because of her pride, she was a Princess of Dorne not some common whore, her body was a sacred temple, one that not just any man would be able to enter.

Once Myriah had thought she would be able to decide which man was worthy of that sacred temple, now she was forced to give herself to this man in front of her, what a cruel way did the Gods found to make her more humble.

None of them say a word as they made their way to the feast. It was an awkward silence, at least for her, Myriah wasn't sure of how he was feeling, it bother her that she wasn't able to read him, she was usually good at reading people, it was like being with a walking stone.

"I'll make this brief" he spoke suddenly, his voice calm but firm "You understand that we are to be wed tomorrow?".

It sounded more like a command than a question to her, Myriah looked at him for a moment and then looked back ahead.

"Yes, my Lord" her voice was calm, making her sound almost bored, helping to hide her discomfort "I assume we'll leave for Casterly Rock the day after the wedding".

"Yes" she felt his eyes on her "Do you understand the importance of this union?".

"Our marriage will end the dispute between our families".

He stopped walking and stood directly in front of her, forcing her to look at him in the eye.

"And?".

Myriah felt like a child being questioned by her father again, she didn't like the way he spoke to her, she didn't like anything about him at all but she decided it was best if she played along.

"Put Dorne in good terms with the Crown".

No one could say Dorne was in open rebellion against the Crown but it was no secret that after Elia Martell and her children were butchered, Dorne wasn't in the best of terms with King Robert, after all, the man denied them the justice they deserved by not only not punishing Tywin for his crimes but also supporting the murders of the members of the previous royal family.

Dragon spawns the Stag King had called the children, a two year old girl and a not even a year old, as if it was their fault to have been born into the wrong family and what about Elia?, what was her aunt's unspeakable crime that earned her such a horrible death?, to be married to the man that had stole the stag's love, it made Myriah sick to think of their deaths.

If a war should start again, the Martells would have not supported the Crown and with Viserys Targaryen looking for an army to conquer Westeros back they couldn't afford that. When Aegon I conquered Westeros the dornishmen were the only ones that resisted the invasion and they had dragons at that time, Dorne was never conquered, even if they never admitted out loud they needed their support.

Maybe King Robert suspected her father would ally himself with the Targaryens, maybe not, either way, once she was married to the Lord Tywin her father would have no other choice than to support him, or at least that's what everyone seemed to think. They resumed on walking to the feast.

"Both of our families will benefit from this union" he continued "You will become the Lady of the Westernlands and in return you will provide me with a son".

The thought of sharing his bed made her stomach turn, she didn't knew what to say so she simply nodded. Myriah definitely needed something to drink if she wanted to keep the wedding night out of her thoughts.

She wanted to ask about the youngest of his children, the imp as he was commonly known. Even if she did in fact ended up giving him a son, Tyrion Lannister would still be the next on the line of succession, not her child.

Myriah had heard many things about the littlest of the lions, one was that he was a drunken little man who spent too many time in the company of whores, that didn't sound so bad to her but then again, she was dornish, people viewed those kind of things differently in Dorne.

She also heard that the little lion didn't get along well with his father, why exactly Tywin refused to give Casterly Rock to him?, she did not know and something told her that it wasn't a good idea to ask her intended about it, not yet anyway.

Once on the feast Myriah took her chance of distract and enjoy herself, she danced with her uncle, who wouldn't stop teasing her about being dressed like a Lannister. She danced with Daemon, she even danced with the King's younger brother, Lord Renly, he was charming and he managed to make her laugh a couple of times, she decided that she liked him.

Mostly she danced with the King. King Robert danced with Myriah until Tywin had to come to her rescue, he had taken quite a liking to her, much to Tywin and Cersei discontent, he declared her the most beautiful woman in the Seven Kingdoms, words couldn't express how much she disliked the man but she simply smiled, praying that he just ended up passing out on the floor already.

Of one thing she was sure, if the Queen didn't hate her completely before, surely she did now judging by that glare she kept sending her way.

"Thank you" she said to her soon to be husband once they were seated back at their table, he simply nodded.

They didn't talk the rest of the feast, there was nothing left to say, she was miserable with this engagement, he probably knew that, he simply didn't care.

Myriah throw a quick glance across the room, her uncle was nowhere to be seen, he probably found his way into a brothel, surely he felt lonely without his paramour, Ellaria. Her and Myriah were not awfully close but they got along well enough, after all she was the mother of four of her cousins and she loved all of them.

Oberyn had eight daughters, Obara, Nymeria, Tyene, Sarella and the ones by Ellaria, Elia, Obella, Dorea and Loreza. If he didn't behave Myriah wouldn't be surprised if she ended up having another cousin as a wedding gift.

Ellaria had not been able to accompany them for the wedding, she was forced to stay in Dorne taking care of Loreza, the child had been very sick recently. Myriah prayed she recoverd soon, she hoped she would get to see the little girl again, healthy and causing mischief around the castle like always.

After a while of watching other people dance and be happy Myriah got bored. She excused herself and decided to go to one of the many balconies, she needed a moment away from the crowd.

Myriah stood there in silence for a moment, eyes closed, trying to picture her home, she hasn't been a whole day in the capitol and she already felt homesick.

Myriah wondered if Casterly Rock would be more pleasing than King's Landing, she wasn't expecting it to feel like home, ever but at least there she wouldn't have to deal with the Queen.

Myriah heard footsteps behind her, she opened her eyes and turned around, she was half expecting to be Daemon but instead she saw a man dressed in the Kingsguard's armor, although his was golden instead of white, he had the white cape though. The man looked awfully alike to a certain lioness, it didn't take a genius to figurate out who he was.

"Ser Jaime" she greeted the golden lion with the smug grin.

"Princess Myriah, a pleasure to finally meet you".

"Likewise" she leaned back against the balcony.

Jaime narrowed his eyes, she didn't even seem happy to be talking to him, let alone be pleased of meeting him.

"I've heard so much about you" he walked closer "People just wouldn't stop talking about you, Prince Doran's eldest child and only daughter, heiress to Sunspear, well, I guess not anymore, soon I will be calling you my Lady".

He was trying to annoy her she noticed, Myriah cocked her head, two could play at that game.

"You can call me mother if it pleases you".

"Wouldn't you just love that?" she just stared back at him with an amused gleam in her eyes "I heard a lot about your cousins, fine warriors from what the gossips said".

"Yes, they are" she wasn't sure where he wanted to go with this.

"I imagine you are even better skilled warrior, I hope we get to spar before you leave for Casterly Rock".

"Actually I'm no warrior, I'm afraid I'm not very good at it".

In fact she was terrible, she knew how to handle herself with a dagger, especially if said dagger was poisoned but that was it, much like her father she favored politics over swords.

"Something the perfect Princess isn't good at, who would have thought?".

"I'm very good at poisons, some might say even better than my uncle".

"I don't doubt it, yet one would have thought Dorne's former heir would be some warrior Princess, like the great Nymeria from the stories, someone more like your cousins, too bad they are just bastards".

Jamie saw it in her eyes, the fiery anger, his smirk turned into a smile, he finally got a reaction from her but as soon as it ignited it was gone, replaced by a cold calm.

"You know, I have heard many things about you as well".

"Have you?".

"Tywin's eldest son…".

"Calling him by his name already?" he teased, she ignored him and continued talking.

"…heir to Casterly Rock, the man who renounced his right and turned his back to his family to join the honorable Kingsguard, to serve and protect a King" Myriah walked foward as she talked, stepping away from the balcony, she stopped in front of him "A King that you later stabbed in the back".

Immediately the smile disappeared from his face. _So I hit a nerve,_ she thought in amusement and smirked.

"How is it that they call you?, Kingslayer, is it?, it must hurt to hear them whispering behind your back, some might even dare to say it to your face, the King does".

Myriah have heard King Robert address him a couple times, never once he use his actual name and she had noticed how his jaw tensed everytime he heard that word.

"I wonder, do you feel the need to kill him when he calls you like that?, surely you most have thought about it at least once".

It bother him the way she talked, as if she knew everything about him. He tried to hide his anger with witty comments, as usual.

"Are you suggesting that I commit regicide?, those are dangerous words, Princess, I would hate to have to put my father's bride in one of the black cells the day before the wedding".

"Regicide?, me?" she pretended to be offended "It wounds me that you have such a low concept of your future mother" she smiled mockinly "Besides, it's not like you need any suggestions, I believe you already are an expert in the matter".

Before Jamie could come up with something clever to answer back someone spoke, they both took a step away from each other.

"Everything alright here?" asked Daemon, looking from the Kingslayer to the Princess and then back at the blonde man.

"Everything is quite alright here" she assured him as she went to stand beside him. Daemon didn't seem so convinced.

"I don't believe we have been properly introduce, Ser Jaime Lannister and you are?" Jaime held out his hand, Daemon eyed the hand for a moment before he took it.

"Ser Daemon Sand".

"Sand?, never heard of that name".

Myriah almost rolled her eyes, of course he had heard of the name, everyone knew it was a bastard's name, the one that was given to bastards in Dorne to be more specific, the Kingslayer just wanted to annoy Daemon but the dornish knight didn't rise to the bait.

"It's quite common in Dorne, maybe you should visit sometime".

"Definitely on my list of things to do".

"Ser Jaime if you excuse me I think I will retire to my chambers for the night".

"Oh yes, I'm sure you will want to have a good night rest, you have a big day tomorrow… and night" he added the last thing with a smirk, knowing full well it would irk her. Myriah resisted the urge to slap him until he lost that smirk from his face "I bid you good night" he bowed to her, she merely offered a very forced smile.

Myriah's mask fell off the moment the Kingslayer left. Daemon could see now just how angry she was, whatever he told her really pissed her off.

"I hate that man".

"I wouldn't worry to much about him, he's a member of the Kingsguard, he is to stay here, soon we'll leave for Casterly Rock and you will never had to deal with him again" .

"You are right" Myriah sighed, letting go of her previous anger, she look at him "You don't have to follow me around like a shadow" he smiled.

"I believe that's exactly my job".

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself back there, you didn't had to leave because of me".

Myriah noticed Daemon dancing with several ladies, women always went to him like flies to the honey, she couldn't blame them, he was a very good looking man, tall, with broad shoulders and a handsome face, his fair skin was tanned by the unforgiving dornish sun, his wavy light brown hair fell to his shoulders and his eyes were as blue as the sky.

Daemon has had the opportunity to have any woman he desired but he never seemed to take anyone serious enough. Myriah had asked him about it before but he always said that he just hasn't found the one, to her it didn't seem like he was putting to much effort in looking.

"If something were to happen to you while I'm feasting, your uncle would have my head on a spike by the morrow and I happen to be very fond of it".

"Please, we both know he would stab you with a poisoned blade and then left you to die alone and in pain" he smiled.

"Yes, that sounds more like him" they both laughed.

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _Sorry for taking so long to update, it hasn't been an easy week for me with collage and... well, life. I will try to post a chapter per week =)_

 _Let me know what you think of the story so far, in case you are curious I picture Diana Penty_ _as Myriah Martell –she's the girl in the cover image– Jared Padalecki as Daemon Sand and Kylie Bunbury as Larra Sand but feel free to picture them as any actors you like._

 _Next chapter the wedding_

 _Have a nice day/night xoxoxo_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Game Of Thrones or any of its characters, all I own is my OC.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 3_**

When Myriah awoke it was still dark outside, she remained on the bed, not wanting to get up, ever. She knew that this was going to be the last time she would sleep alone, from now on she would share a bed with a lion.

Her uncle came with the first rays of the morning, accompanied by Larra and other dornish servants. He surprised her, Myriah was expecting him to be asleep at least until midday.

"Is this the best room they could give to you?, you are a Princess of Dorne, not some wench".

Myriah rolled her eyes, she knew very well her uncle's bad mood wasn't because of a room, besides, her chambers were pretty nice and grand.

"You should be grateful, uncle, the King and his family had been nothing but kind since we arrived".

"Yes, Cersei seems very committed into convincing everyone that she has welcome you into the family, be careful with her, she can be as dangerous as a manticore's kiss, never forget that".

"I never forget anything".

Oberyn was aware of how keen to hold grudges his was niece, even when she was child, it didn't matter if it took her a weak, a month or a year, she was patience, in the end she always ended getting her revenge on anyone, including her cousins but those were just pranks done by children, this was no prank.

Myriah noticed for the first time that he didn't came empty handed to her chambers, Oberyn noticed her look and smiled.

"I have a couple of gifts for you" he seemed excited about it "This if from your father" he gave her a square box "He regrets deeply not being able to give this to you in person but…" he didn't need to finish the sentence, despite not always agreeing with him Myriah knew he loved her and she loved him.

Her eyes widen at the sight of the content of the box, it was a snake arm ring, it was made of gold and its eyes were emeralds, Myriah loved emeralds. She was glad that her wedding dress was sleeves, she simply had to wear it for the wedding.

"It's beautiful, tell father I love his gift very much, I will never take it off".

She meant it, Myriah loved jewelry but this was special, this represented her, she wanted the Lannisters to know that she wasn't interested in turning into a lioness, she was a viper of Dorne, that would never change.

"This is from me" he gave her another box, this one was more narrow and longer.

When she opened it she couldn't help but smile, it was a dagger. _Of course he would give me something like this on my wedding day,_ she was amused.

It was similar to one of Nymeria's daggers, yet still there were a couple of differences, this one was smaller, she could easily wrap it around her thigh, concealing it under her skirts, the hilt was made of gold instead of bronze, it also had one snake coiled in the dagger's hilt instead of two.

"Uncle, are you trying to suggest that I slit my husband's throat on my wedding night?" she joked.

Oberyn did not find funny the reminder of the wedding night, not one bit, it filled him with rage and he was dangerous when he was angry. He clenched his fits trying to control the urge to take the dagger and do the job himself.

"That wouldn't be such a bad idea".

"What about that one" she motioned to the chest next to her bed, trying to change the subject, it worked.

"It's your wedding cloak" he snapped his fingers, the servants opened the chest and brought her the cloak "It was Elia's, she wore it the day of her wedding, she was so happy to marry that Targaryen prick" Myriah could sense the hidden anger on his voice "She sent it back to Dorne when you were born, she wanted you to wear it on your wedding, Doran has been keeping it ever since".

Myriah watched the cloak, she traced her fingers through the yellow and orange fabric, soon it would be replaced by red and gold.

Oberyn saw the sadness in her eyes, it didn't matter how much she tried to pretend she was fine with all of this, he knew she was miserable. He knew this whole marriage could work in their advantage, he knew, he already discussed it with his brother but the closer the wedding got, the more restless he became.

"I wish I could take you back to Dorne" he spoke in a gentle, fatherly tone.

"You can't do that".

"You know what happened to Elia".

Myriah look up from the cloak to her uncle's dark eyes. It wasn't a question but she answered regardless.

"Yes"

"And you know who's fault is it".

"Yes".

"Then I will ask you one last time, come back with me to Sunspear, us Martells belong in Dorne, not here in this lion's den".

Oberyn always thought that if Elia would have married someone closer to Dorne, maybe he would have been able to save her and now once again he was going to give away someone with his blood, only this time far to a far more dangerous family than the Targaryens. Myriah smiled sadly and grabbed his hand to get his full attention.

"My dear uncle, you can't shield me from the world forever, no one can, I am not my aunt but I will get justice for her and her children, I swear it by all the Gods, the old and the new".

* * *

The Queen summoned her to break fast with her, the last thing she wanted was to speak with the lioness now –or ever– but she couldn't refuse her invitation.

"Your grace" she bowed once she entered the room.

The Queen was already seated, she wasn't alone, two of her children were with her. A young girl with golden curls and a plumb little boy.

It was curious how there was nothing of their father in them, they were all Cersei, golden hair and green eyes, maybe the Lannister seed was strong. Myriah wondered, if she were to have Tywin's baby, would it look like her or would it look like him?.

"Sit" the Queen ordered dryly.

Myriah sat next to the blonde girl, who smiled shyly at her, she returned the smile, the little Princess seemed to be around the same age as Trystane, perhaps a year or two younger. Trystane, how much she missed her little brother.

"These are my children, Myrcella and Tommen, sweetings, this is Princess Myriah Martell, I told you about her, remember?" they both nodded.

"Is it true that you are going to marry grandfather?" asked Myrcella.

"Yes, soon I will be your grandmother".

"Your too young to be a grandmother".

"Yes, she is" said Cersei "Do you understand why they have to get marry?".

Myrcella looked down, hesitant of what to say, she did not want to say the wrong thing in front of Princess Myriah, Joffrey would always taunt her for saying stupid things.

"Because father said so" it was Tommen who answered their mother's question, he couldn't be older than four. He looked shyly at Myriah, when she smiled at him his cheeks turned as red as the crimson in the banners.

Cersei looked thoughtfully at the youngest of her children, then she nodded.

"Yes, there's that but it's important to make alliances, should the time come the Martells will fight for us, isn't that right Myriah?".

"Oh, my father will be more than honored to fight for your family, your grace".

The children didn't catch the sarcasm on Myriah's voice but Cersei did.

"Our family" she corrected her "You will be Lady Lannister and your children will be Lannisters, would you like that?, having little lion cubs?".

"It is what is expected of me, isn't?".

"But this wasn't how things were supposed to be for your, you were your father's heir" Myriah noticed how she said the word 'heir' with such resentment but she wasn't sure that this time was aimed at her "You were going to be the ruling Princess of Dorne, doesn't it bothers you that it was taken away from you?".

"Nothing was taken away from me, I chose to be your father's bride, I surrender my claim to my brother Trystane, he will be the ruling Prince of Dorne, I have no doubt he will do right by Dorne" Cersei said nothing, she just look at her, trying to see through her lies "Does it bother you?, your grace" she said casually.

"Pardon me?".

"That you are not your father's heir?" Cersei said nothing for a moment, she just glared at Myriah.

"Jaime is my father's heir" she avoided the question, Myriah noticed.

"Lord Tyrion is your father's heir" Cersei's grip on her goblet tighten at the mention of her little brother. _Curious_ , Myriah noted, _they must not get along_ "But you were you not born first or am I wrong?" Myriah played dumb, as if she couldn't comprehend the situation.

I was known that the lioness came first out of her mother's womb, followed by her twin brother, the Lion of Lannister, the Kingslayer.

"Not everywhere in the world things are done the way they are done in Dorne" Cersei answered after a moment of silence.

"Pity" Myriah put a grape on her mouth.

"Yes but now I'm the Queen, you'll do well to remember that".

The children couldn't quite understand what was happening but they were not dumb, they could feel the tension in the room, they looked like they wanted to be anywhere but here, Myriah couldn't blame them.

The threat implicit on the Queen's words did not fall in deaf ears, there were so many ways Myriah could respond to this but she decided it was best if she played nice, so she simply offered the sweetest of smiles, Cersei looked annoyed by this but said nothing, instead they resumed on eating.

* * *

Myriah closed the door behind her and sighed, if she were to spend one more moment with the Queen she would hang herself.

Soon it would be midday and the wedding will start, Larra came to help her get ready. Myriah even let her do her hair, she didn't feel like doing it herself today.

"Do you think he will be gentle?".

Larra stopped for a moment, the question clearly took her off guard. She knew what Myriah was talking about, they haven't talk about it yet, it was a subject the Princess was trying to avoid at all cost but she couldn't avoid it forever.

"I don't know".

Larra wasn't sure of what else to say to help ease her nerves, she couldn't lie to her, Myriah would knew if she did.

"How does it feel?".

"The first time?".

Myriah shook her head, she had heard about that many times, she didn't care about the pain.

"To be with someone who you actually wish to be with, someone that truly wants to be with you and not just put a baby in you".

"It feels like… for a moment you're not just two people, you're one body, one soul, you feel... whole".

Myriah frowned. _I will never get to feel like that_ , she thought with growing bitterness. Larra wasn't sure her words were helping her so she decided to stop talking and finish her job.

Oberyn came to escort his niece to the Great Sept of Baelor, he would walk her down the aisle in the name of her father. He took a moment to take in her appearance, she looked absolutely stunning, regal, like a Queen.

"Look at you, you look more beautiful than Cersei".

"Don't let her hear you saying that".

"It's the truth, everyone knows it, she will have to bear it" Myriah smiled and shook her head.

Oberyn wanted to smile too but this was a very sad day and behind her smile he could see she was sad too, he wanted to kill them all for making her sad but that wouldn't help at all.

Everyone seemed pretty excited about the wedding, well, almost everyone, the Queen had a frown on her perfect face that revealed her disapproval with all of this, the Kingslayer looked as he couldn't care less about the wedding and the little lion looked like he didn't want to be there, as for her uncle, well, Prince Oberyn didn't even bother to pretend he was happy.

Myriah wanted to be at least excited, it was her wedding after all but she couldn't, she was getting married to a man that not only she despised but also could be her father, or grandfather.

Myriah's wedding gown was the envy of every Lady of the court, it showed every curve of her buxom body, it was a dress for someone that wanted to be seen, not to blend in, she was the bride after all. The dress was yellow with golden embroideries of her house sigil, it was sleeveless, it showed her back and a little bit of her front, just enough the leave men wanting to see more, she was wearing her snake arm ring.

The lustful looks were to be expected, even the lion himself seemed to be enchanted by the Princess beauty, only he hide it better than the rest, or at least he thought he did. The Queen noticed and she didn't looked to pleased, no really that surprising, Myriah figured the woman was not used to not being the center of attention.

Tywin Lannister stood proud, dressed in Lannister colors, looking as imposing as any man of his reputation should look.

Oberyn delivered her to her future husband, she tried to step forward to go stand by his side but her uncle's grip on her arm tighten. She looked at him surprised and confused but he was looking at Tywin, glaring rather, the lion glared back, daring him to do something stupid.

"Uncle?" she whispered quietly but he did not hear her, he didn't even looked at her, he kept glaring at Tywin "Uncle" she said in a more firm tone, he seemed to finally snap out of it.

His eyes locked with hers, Myriah could see the conflict in them, this was more painful for him than it was her. Oberyn loved Myriah as if she was one of his daughters, she was aware of his concerns and she appreciated it, she just couldn't have him doing something stupid. At that moment Myriah didn't thought of herself, she feared for him, the Queen would have his head is he even make a scratch on her father.

He finally released her and went to stand by the left side of the crowd, where the family of the bride were located, the Lannisters stood on the right side.

Tyrion offered a smile when their eyes met, he pitied her, she could see it in his eyes. Myriah looked away, she didn't want anyone's pity.

Myriah forced herself to relax but the tension was still in the air, she could hear the Lords and Ladies whispering at her back, she pay them no attention, they seemed to shut up when Lord Tywin shoot them a look.

She grabbed Tywin's arm and they both walked up the stairs until they came to stand before the septon. Myriah looked up at the statues of the Father and the Mother, they didn't looked as intimidating as the man beside her.

"You may now cloak the bride and bring her under your protection" said the septon.

Tywin removed her Martell cloak and replaced it with his Lannister one, it felt heavy even though it was actually very light.

"My Lords, my Ladies, we stand here in the sight of the Gods and men to witness the union of man and wife, one flesh, one heart, one soul, now and forever".

Tywin took her hand, his was rough and bigger than hers. The septon tied a ribbon in a knot around their joined hands.

"Let it be known that Myriah of house Martell, Tywin of house Lannister are one heart, one flesh, one soul, cursed be he who would seek to tear them asunder, in the sight of the Seven, I hereby seal these two souls, binding them as one for eternity, look upon each other and say the words" they turned to face each other.

"Father, Smith, Warrior, Mother, Maiden, Crone, Stranger".

Saying the vows felt so wrong, so void of meaning but she managed to do so with a clear and firm voice while holding his intense gaze.

"I am hers and she is mine, from this day, until the end of my days".

"I am his and he is mine, from this day, until the end of my days".

Then he kissed her, it was very brief, just a peck on the lips but it made her want to pull away, she didn't though. Myriah made sure to put on her fake smile as they turned towards the cheering crowd. Myriah was officially a married woman.

* * *

The bride and the groom were placed next to the King and the Queen, although much like the feast before, the King spent all the celebration drinking and flirting with anything with a pair of tits.

In her short time in King's Landing Myriah had heard many times how all the King ever did was spending his days drinking wine and bedding whores, instead of actually ruling the Seven Kingdoms so it didn't really surprised her he acted this way, it didn't make it any less distasteful. _Behold our mighty King_ , she thought mockingly as she watched the fat man spill his wine all over himself.

The wedding feast –like the ceremony– was grand and beautiful, Myriah wished she could enjoy it, she truly did, her only consolation was that all of this feasting was as tedious for her now husband as it was for her.

Tywin drank only watered wine, to his surprise she did the same, other girls would be getting themselves drunk enough to endure the wedding night but she knew that wouldn't really help, it would only leave her completely at his mercy and that prospect scared her more than being fully conscious.

Myriah didn't dance as much as the day before, she did dance a couple of times with her uncle.

"If he ever lays a hand on you all you have to do is write to your father or me" he whispered to her as they danced "We will destroyed them like they did with the Reynes".

"Uncle" she hissed at him, throwing a quick look around to see if anyone had overheard him "You can't say those things around here".

"I don't care, it's the truth".

"I can take care of myself and he won't hurt me, he needs me to give him an heir".

"And then what?, if you think he will allow you raise that child then you are a fool".

Myriah said nothing, her uncle's words hit her like a bucket of cold water, they hunt her the rest of the celebration, even though she tried to push those thoughts aside.

Myriah also danced with the King's eldest son, Prince Joffrey. The boy was arrogant, no surprise there but he was kind to her, almost too kind.

For some reason Myriah couldn't bring herself to like him, it wasn't because he was Cersei's child, she met Myrcella and Tommen and she actually liked them but with Joffrey, there was something off about him, even if he tried to hide it and play the gallant Prince she could still feel it.

The fact that he kept calling her grandmother didn't exactly help, Myriah never thought that word would annoy her so much, maybe it was because it came from the Stag Prince. _Lion_ , she corrected herself, like his siblings he favored his mother's side of the family.

Either way Myriah played her part, laughed at his bad jokes and feed his ego with compliments when needed. After a while he went to speak to his mother and finally left her alone.

Myriah saw her uncle chatting with her Lord husband, she watched them talk for a moment, they both seemed tense, Myriah noticed how the Red Viper's hand rested casually on the handle of the dagger in his hips, it would only take one swift move from him and the old lion would be no more. Lord Tywin seem unfazed by this, if anything he looked annoyed. Myriah was about to approach them when someone got in her way.

"Mother!" Tyrion greeted her with a little too much enthusiasm, he was clearly drunk.

"Lord Tyrion" she said politely.

"Please, just call me Tyrion, we are family now".

"As you wish, Tyrion".

She tried to walk past him but he stopped her.

"Why the rush?, trying to escape your own wedding?".

"I'm not escaping, I'm trying to…".

Myriah looked at were her husband and uncle used to stand but they were both gone, she sighed.

"Nevermind".

"I think you need something drink".

"She doesn't need such thing".

They both turned to face Lord Tywin, he was glaring at the youngest of his children.

"Come" he ordered her.

He didn't wait for her to say something, he turned around and walked away, Myriah looked at Tyrion, who shrugged.

"Don't keep him waiting" he took a sip from his cup.

Reluctantly she followed her husband, not liking to be ordered around like she was a servant. It wasn't until they left the feast that she realized that it was time for the wedding night, he was taking her to his room, their room.

When they were alone he finally saw her mask flatter, he took a step forward and she took one back. Myriah cursed herself for doing that, she hadn't meant to do it but he made her nervous.

Tywin kept walking toward her until he was close enough to touch her. Myriah looked at him in the eye and forced herself to continue to do so as he proceeded to undress her.

Dornish women don't wear corsets or any elaborate, heavy smallclothes so it didn't take long to strip her from all of her clothes. Myriah stood there naked, the room was warm yet she felt cold, she trembled when his fingers made contact with her bare skin, he circled her, watching her closely, it made her feel like she was the prey and he was the predator, him being taller than her didn't help at all.

This was going agonizingly slow. _Why doesn't he just do what he must and be done with it, is he enjoying torturing me?_ , she thought.

"Are you afraid?" he didn't seem to truly care about her answer which confused her. W _hy even ask?,_ she wondered.

"No, my lord" she was surprise of how calm she actually sounded.

"Tywin" he corrected her.

"Tywin" she repeated, he nodded.

"Get in the bed".

She did as he told her, Myriah climbed and the big bed and laid on her back, she stared at the celling, her bare chest raised and fell as she breathed heavily.

Myriah heard the sound of his clothes falling to the ground and took a deep breath, preparing herself for what was to come. Her heart was beating fast in her chest.

He climbed on top of her and started kissing her neck, she tensed when she felt _him_ against her thigh but force herself to relax, her being tense would only make things worse for her, she knew how this worked, she knew it was supposed to hurt the first time, she heard her cousins talk about her experiences with men many, many times.

Tywin parted her legs and positioned himself, Myriah gasped when he eased his length into her sex. It hurt, physically yes but it hurt her pride more. She clenched the sheets with her hands and prayed that it will be over soon. Tywin didn't move any further right away, giving her some time to adjust to him. Myriah wasn't sure if she was grateful for it or if she hated him more for being gentle.

Then he started to move, slowly at first, then faster. Myriah kept staring at the celing, trying to focus on something else, she thought of her home instead, her childhood memories, things were so much easier back then.

His grip on her hips tighten, he was getting close. _I'm doing this for my house_ , she kept telling herself, she needed to remember why she was enduring this. With a groan he found his release.

The man that caused the deaths of her aunt and cousins had taken her maidenhead and now he spilled his vile seed into her belly, she felt sick.

He rolled of her and lay next to her, neither of them spoke a word, he didn't attempt to hold her nor did she try to get closer to him, in fact she fell asleep as far from him as the bed allowed her.

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _And they finally got married, now the true adventure begins._

 _Next chapter we will be going to Casterly Rock, how do you think Myriah will do as the Lady of the Rock?, let me know in the comments =)_

 _Have a nice day/night xoxoxo_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I don't own Game Of Thrones or any of its characters, all I own is my OC.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 4_**

Tywin was the first to wake up, he looked at the young woman sleeping peacefully besides him. He had forgotten how it was to share a bed with another person, he hadn't slept besides anyone since Joanna.

Whenever he'd felt any need he would seek a discrete and expensive companion, he never took any of those women into his own bed, nor did he ever sleep alongside them, he would slake his hunger and then leave.

There was something different about his new wife, Tywin had noticed the moment she stepped into the throne room. He had been expecting a scared little girl that would cowered away from him in fear everytime he spoke or even attempt to get close to her but Myriah wasn't like that, while she was defiantly intimidated by him, she seemed determined to not show it, she stared at him right in the eye with that defying look of hers, almost daring him to try to break her, she certainly seemed to live by her house's words.

It would defiantly be so much easier than he thought to make a child with her, she wouldn't be so easy to control though, she wasn't a pawn, she was a player, Tywin would had to be very careful with her. His children seemed to be under the impression that he was underestimating the Martel's hatred, they forgot Tywin Lannister rarely –if ever– underestimated his enemies.

Tywin got off the bed and started to get ready for the day, he wanted to be on his way back to the Rock, away from the King, he would tolerate the drunk's fool behavior no more.

He didn't want his wife anywhere near the man, sooner or later she would be carrying his child in her belly, the last thing he needed was that haunting doubt of who was truly the father, him or the King.

Tywin looked at the sleeping woman one more time, he could get use to awake to this sight everyday but he could never forget she was a viper, not a lioness like Joanna had been. Tywin left the room.

Unknown to her husband Myriah was already awake, she had been for a while now, Myriah heard him as he got dressed, she supposed she should have said something but she really didn't want to talk to him, so she waited for him to leave before she opened her eyes.

Larra came not long before her husband left, she brought her a tray of food, Myriah wasn't really hungry but she had big journey ahead, it was better if she ate now.

Myriah tossed the covers aside and got off the bed, not really caring about her nakedness –it wasn't the first time her handmaiden saw her naked– allowing Larra some room to change the sheets.

"So…" the girl with the dark curls started.

Myriah knew this was coming, to be honest she was surprised that she had manage to hold her tongue for so long, instead of starting to ask questions the moment she entered the room.

"How was it?".

Myriah rolled her eyes, she then walked over the changing screen, she took a nightgown and put it on. The fabric was so thin that it barely covered anything, it was a good thing she wasn't shy.

"I really don't know what you are so curious about, you know how it is".

"Yes but how was _he_?".

Larra waited a moment for her to say something, she sighed when she remained silent. Larra left the sheets aside and turned to face the Princess. _Lady_ , she corrected herself, Myriah was now officially the Lady of the Westernlands.

"Myriah, please, if you don't talk to me who will you talk to then?, the Queen?" she scoffed "I'm sure she's dying to know the details".

Myriah knew she was right, as annoying as Larra's curious nature could be sometimes, she was the only person Myriah could really talk to about anything, Larra would never judge her and above all things, she would never betray her trust, true loyalty was a very rare thing to find in this world, that's why she insisted in bringing her along.

Myriah sat down on the table and started eating.

"He was…" she started, trying to pick up the right words "...pleased? I guess, he didn't complain".

"What about you?, was he gentle?, did he hurt you?".

"So many questions".

"And so little answers" Myriah shoot her a look and then sighed.

"You need not to worry, he didn't hurt me, he actually was...".

The door opened, a handmaiden entered the room, it was the same girl that had brought her the Queen's gift. The girl froze when she noticed all looks were on her.

"Seven hells girl, don't you know how to knock?" said Larra, voicing Myriah's thoughts.

"Apologies, I thought you might be still asleep".

"Well, I'm not" the words came a little too harshly than she intended "Go on then, do your duties".

The girl nodded and went to retrieve the sheets, immediately Lara refused to let her do so.

"What are you doing?".

"I…".

"That it's my job, not yours, leave that there, go prepare the Lady a bath".

"I only receive orders from the Lady".

 _So the scared little mouse isn't so scared anymore_. Myriah watched the scene for a moment, eating in silence.

"Listen you…" Larra took as step towards the girl, who seemed to lost out of sudden all of her new found courage.

"Let her be" said Myriah.

Larra looked at her in surprise but say nothing until the girl was out of the room. Myriah may allow her to speak freely when they were alone but she would never tolerate to be openly defied in front of others, Larra was, after all, still just a handmaiden.

"She's one of the Queen's handmaidens".

"I know, I remember her".

"Then why did you let her leave?".

"It's no secret what happen last night, let her know the dirty details" Myriah resumed on eating.

Larra didn't seem to agree with her but say nothing more about it.

After Myriah finished eating she went to take a bath, the warm water was almost soothing. She took a moment to inspect her body, her husband had been indeed gentle with her, there were no visible marks of the previous night activities, just a small discomfort between her legs.

Myriah wished she could erase his touch from her flesh but that was not possible, she could still feel his hands over her, his breath on her neck, his length inside her sex. She couldn't imagine growing use to his touch but she had to, it was necessary for her plans.

A part of her wished she could stay there, in the water, forever, she dreaded the moment when she would had to say goodbye to her uncle but it was inevitable.

On her journey to King's Lading Myriah traveled on a litter, now she would be traveling on horseback so she had to wear a riding dress.

Daemon came to escort her, along with a Lannister guard.

The royal family came to the courtyard to bid farewell both the dornish party and the Lord and Lady of Casterly Rock, almost all the royal family, the King was nowhere to be found.

Cersei had to excuse her husband with her father, saying something about how the King wasn't feeling very well, Myriah could almost laugh at that, everyone knew the King was probably still asleep in the bed of some whore but no one dare to say that in front of the Queen.

Myriah politely said goodbye to all of her step-children, Cersei was stoic, unreadable, the Kingslayer only gave her a curt nod, barely acknowledging her. Myriah smiled to the Queen's youngest children but barely paid any attention to the oldest, the Prince looked bored, as if he didn't want to be there in the first place. Then was the little lion.

"Farewell, Lady Myriah, may the Gods bless you with many children" there was kindness in his eyes and in his voice, Myriah had not been able to tell if his wishes were genuine or if it was more fake courtesies.

Tyrion could see the look of mistrust on her face, he couldn't blame her, he was a Lannister and an imp, he didn't expect her to trust him, at least she was no fool, she might be able to survive his family after all.

Saying goodbye to her uncle was harder than Myriah had anticipated. The Red Viper looked as proud as ever, his playful demeanor hid well enough the sadness in his heart.

Myriah embraced him, for a moment her composure almost shattered and she had to hide her face in his chest to prevent anyone to see her weak, vulnerable.

"Come now, no tears in front of the lions" he whispered in her ear and then kissed her hair.

Myriah took a deep breath and pull away from him, just enough so he could see her face, she forced smile on her face.

"That's better" he praised.

She saw her husband looking at them, he looked like he wanted to leave already but he was waiting patiently for her to say her goodbyes.

"Goodbye uncle".

"Farewell" he smirked "Don't forget to name your first born after me" he said that loud enough for Tywin to hear.

Myriah's smiled turned into a genuine one then. If it were up to her she would give all of her children Martell names but she doubted her husband would allow that.

She walked to her horse, a brown mare, Tywin helped her mount it. The Lannisters and the Martells rode together until they had to take different paths to their different destinations. She watched her uncle rode off in his red stallion, followed by his people, her people and for the first time in her life she truly felt alone.

* * *

The journey to Casterly Rock was long and tiresome, Myriah usually enjoyed racing with her cousins but after a week or so, she was growing tired of it. Her whole body hurt but she refuse to show signs of discomfort, she would not have her husband thinking she was weak because couldn't bare traveling on horseback.

They stopped here and there for the night, sometimes at an inn, sometimes they had to make camp. Almost every night her husband would bed her, the experience was as unpleasant as the first time but she was starting to learn a few things.

She was starting to learn how to please her husband in the bed, what things he liked and what things he did not. Myriah had heard her cousins talk about how to please a man, especially Nym, she wouldn't stop pestering her about it, talking about her many conquests, now it was all starting to come in handy.

Although Myriah didn't enjoy any of it she pretended to, she wrapped her legs around his hips, kissed him and moan, he seemed to enjoy her reactions.

She wasn't a fool to think she could make him love her but she could make him lust for her, Myriah knew through lust was the best way to manipulate a man, she couldn't have him growing tired of her, she needed him to want her, to need her, even after she gave him an heir, she wasn't going to just allow him to toss her aside once she served her purpose.

"I wonder" she started, playing playfully with her hair. They laid naked in bed, he was still catching his breath "Why there was no bedding ceremony?".

"Would you have preferred that it have been one?".

"No".

"Good".

"Still, I thought someone would suggest it".

"No sane man would have suggested it" she cocked her eyebrow in a questioning manner, he look at her "Not unless he wanted to lose his tongue" Myriah smirked, amused by his response.

Tywin watched her carefully, under the dim light of the candle of the tent she looked enchanting. He averted his gaze and got off the bed, he was determined not to fall under her spell, he was not his father, he wasn't going to submit to any woman's charms, not even his wife.

* * *

After a weak of traveling they finally arrived. Casterly Rock was quite the majestic sight, the castle was carved out of a colossal stoney hill, overlooking the Sunset Sea. The castle was large, the stones walls were almost white, gardens sprawled on the terraces, the main yard was big, the golden lion on a crimson field of the Lannisters hung everywhere, this was the lion's den.

It would never be as beautiful as Sunspear but it wasn't as dark and ugly as Myriah had been expecting it to be, maybe it wouldn't be so terrible to live here after all.

Myriah didn't knew much about the Rock or the Lannister's lands, Tywin explained to her that the castle itself was called Casterly Rock, everything under the walls belonged to the city, Lannisport. Lannisport was smaller than King's Landing but at least here there wasn't the constant smell of shit.

 _This is my home now_ , she thought. Myriah doubted that it would ever feel like it, one of the very few things her mother had taught her was that home was where the heart is and her heart would always be in Dorne.

Myriah could at least try and make the best out of the situation, she intended to make Casterly Rock her own, there was only one tiny problem, Genna Lannister.

Her husband's sister had been the unofficial Lady of the place since the Lady Joanna's death, Myriah thought the woman would just go away now that Casterly Rock had a new Lady but of course, things couldn't be that easy.

Myriah had mixed feelings about the lioness, when she first met her she had been expecting someone like Cersei but that wasn't the case. Genna was older than Myriah, older than Cersei but younger than Tywin, she was the exact opposite of Cersei, while the Queen was tall and slender, Lady Genna was short and plumb but it wasn't just in appearance they were opposites, while Cersei was cold, Genna was warm and kind but she was equally as cunning, if not even more.

Whenever she liked the woman or not, she wasn't going anywhere, Genna had been living in Casterly Rock her whole life, even after she married Emmon Frey –who also resided at the Rock– she remained here. In the end Genna ended up becoming Myriah's lady-in-waiting, just as she had been to Joanna Lannister once.

Unlike Tywin, Genna never ordered her around, she treated her like an equal but she was always there, keeping an eye on every decision Myriah made concerning managing the household, while her husband never meddle in her affairs, he had other things to take care off as the Lord of Casterly Rock and Warden of the West.

Myriah felt frustrated and caged, Tywin could make all the excuses he wanted but the truth was he simply did not trust her and Genna was to make sure Myriah didn't screw things up.

From day one the lioness took it upon herself to turn Myriah into the perfect Lady for Casterly Rock, it was overwhelming. Her duties –while being different from being a Princess of Dorne– were not as tedious as Genna's lessons were, from learning everything that there was to know about her new house's vassals, to get to know every man and woman in their household, there were days Myriah felt like a child again.

Myriah would usually hear her council but sometimes she chose to ignore her, especially when it came to her clothing style. Genna had been trying –and failing– for weeks to make Myriah dress in a more Lannister way, it wasn't until her husband summoned her one day to express his opinion on the matter, that Myriah started to pay attention to Genna's suggestions.

"I saw you this morning, walking around the gardens in that thing you call dress".

"What?, this?" she motioned to her dress, or the opening at the front rather, it revealed part of her breast "I'm glad it pleases my husband".

"It does not please me".

"But you stare".

"Of course I stare, you purposely show your beauty to caught everyone's eye" Myriah smirked.

"Thank you".

"It not a compliment, it's a fact, you are beautiful, the whole Seven Kingdoms know that".

Myriah resisted the impulse to roll her eyes.

"You will stop dressing like that".

"And if I refuse?".

This earned her a glare from the old lion, it wasn't wise to defy him like this, she knew that. Only two months had passed since she arrived to her new home and she was already growing tired of playing the submissive wife, to what end?, he still didn't trust her.

 _Soften your words, let him think he can control you, trust will come, eventually_ , she assured herself.

Tywin didn't spoke for a moment and when he did, his voice was icy calm. Myriah hated that about him, she was used to her uncle's short temper, her cousins open outburst, even her father was far more expressive than this when he got angry but Tywin... Tywin's anger was as cold as the north, it made him unpredictable.

"Careful now, if you think being my wife gives you the power to do whatever you want you are very wrong, do not test my patience" his attention returned to his papers "Genna will help you getting more suitable gowns for you, now leave".

Was he aware of how much it infuriated her when he summoned her and dismiss her like a servant?, she did not know.

Myriah got up from her chair and left the room, she dug her nails in her palms to control her raising anger. Unbowed, Unbent, Unbroken, those were her house's words but if she was going to do this she was going to have to bent a little.

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _Sorry for not being able to update sooner, my goal is to upload a chapter every saturday. I hope the wait has been worth it, let me know in the comments what you think of the story so far._

 _Have a nice day/night xoxoxo_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own Game Of Thrones or any of its characters, all I own is my OC.**

* * *

 ** _Chapter 5_**

Myriah rarely saw her husband during the day, they were both busy with their respective duties. Tywin usually awoke before her, Myriah was rather used to waking up to an empty bed, she actually preferred it this way, to have this time of the day to herself, well, almost, Larra was always there to gossip about everything that was happening in the castle.

Myriah would often let her do most of the talking, listening carefully to any information her handmaiden had gathered that could be useful in the future. She wouldn't exactly call her friend a spy but she was certainly resourceful at getting information.

"Would you not eat today again, my Lady?".

Larra had been casting sideway glances at the Lady as she changed the sheets from the bed. Myriah sat there, in silence, eyeing the food with an unreadable look on her face.

For days Myriah had not been eating very well, she skipped most of the meals, except for dinner. Her husband had made a habit of eating dinner with her everyday, although they barely spoke during their meals. It had been awkward the first few times, Myriah tried to make conversation only to be responded with very short –if any– answers, eventually she gave up and started to eat in absolute silence, after a while she grew use to it.

Everything in this place was so silent, so different from all the noise back at Sunspear. The servants performed their duties being extremely careful of not to disturb their Lord, fearing his anger. Myriah had always favored quietness over too much noise but sometimes it was ridiculous just how quiet it could get here, the only constant noise was the sound of the waves smashing against the rocks and lately, the storms.

It had been raining a lot in the past few days, Myriah wasn't very fond of this type of weather, the thunders often kept her awake at night. Today she was glad to awake to see the sun once again shinning in the blue sky, she hoped it stays this way.

"Myriah?" Larra's voice brought her out of her thoughts. Myriah blinked a few times before answering.

"I'm not hungry" she replied quietly while massaging her temples, she was having headaches again.

"You should at least eat something".

Myriah look at the food, it was the same as usual, yet lately she couldn't help being grossed out by it, the sight, the smell, especially the smell. She pushed the plate aside with a disgusted look on her face.

"You're feeling sick again" it wasn't a question but Myriah nodded "Maybe you should listen to Lady Genna".

"About what now?".

"Going to the Maester" she thought about it for a moment but said nothing "You won't know the cause of this... sudden illness if you don't go to the Maester".

Myriah shoot her a look, she knew what she was implying, Genna had been suspicious about it too, Myriah was glad the woman had kept her mouth shut, there was no need to tell Tywin about it, not yet.

Her blood moon should've come by now, two weeks ago to be precise but it didn't, other women would be positive of their future motherhood but Myriah's blood moons weren't as regular as that of other women, it wouldn't be the first time her blood moon came late, she was giving it time to be certain before getting everyone's hopes up. Too late, both Genna and Larra seemed so sure that Myriah was indeed carrying a life inside her, Genna barely was able to conceal her excitement, Myriah couldn't help having mixed feelings about it.

By the end of the previous year she was getting married, the first few months of her marriage she had been impatience to get with child, her grip on the Rock would never be solid unless she gave birth to a boy with Lannister blood. Months passed and she remained childless, Myriah grew concerned, she was inclined to believe it was because of her husband's age, she couldn't bring herself to even consider that the one with the problem was her. Larra reassured her that it was perfectly normal, that only very few women had the luck to fall pregnant quickly, besides, it had only been a couple of months, there was still plenty of time but more time passed, now this year was coming to an end too and she still wasn't a mother.

Through this months Myriah had invested herself into her duties as the Lady of the place and her the need of a child had been left aside but now she was getting sick all the time, her breast were getting bigger and sensitive and the sickness, the damn sickness was getting worse by the day, her belly was flat still but could there be a life growing inside her?.

There were the mixed feelings again, did she wanted to be a mother? of course, nothing would make her more happy but did she really wanted to be the mother of his child?, did she really wanted little golden haired lions for children?, for that Myriah didn't have a definitive answer.

Before, when she was a young girl, just a little Princess meant to be her father's successor, Myriah had wanted many children of her own, ever since her mother introduced her to her baby brother she had wanted to be a mother, she remembered how small and fragile Trystane had been, like a doll, it was the first time in her life she saw a baby, to her he was the most fascinating thing in the world to her, although her fascination disappeared within his first year of life, her love for him and her wishes for a big family remained the same.

She never truly cared if she had boys or girls, the first born would have been her heir, regardless of its gender but as the Queen once said to her, not everywhere in the world things were done the way they were done in Dorne. Myriah wasn't a princess anymore, she was a lady, she wasn't the ruler of her own region, she was just the wife of the man in charge of a land that wasn't really hers.

Myriah stood up from the chair and walked to the door, Larra watched her with surprise, thinking that she had finally decided to go to the Maester.

"I'm going to the gardens, if someone asks for me tell them I wish to be alone" she left before Larra could muster a reply.

Of course Myriah was never truly alone, Daemon never left her side, whenever she was in the gardens, the beach or even the city, he was always close to her side, only when they were inside of the castle's walls he would give her some space, knowing full well she hated being followed closely, something she was forced to endure everytime she went to the city.

As Myriah walked through the corridors she passed many servants, they all bowed to her and say 'my Lady', some even smiled at her, she returned the smile.

When Myriah first arrived at the Rock servants rarely spoke to her, she figured that they were afraid she was as cruel as the Lord, not to mention she was dornish, only the Gods knew what lies they had heard about her people, Myriah treated them all with kindness.

At first some had been wary of their Lady's intentions, not being used to being treated this way, they were so used to being treated with only coldness, threats and very severe punishments, sometimes too severe for Myriah's liking. Even someone like Genna, who was nothing but kind to Myriah, turned into a completely different person when it came to deal with the servants but it wasn't just with servants.

On Myriah's twentieth name day a celebration was thrown in her honor, it was the first time she met her new vassals and their families, all of the western houses were present.

"You must place limits" Genna advised her, she spoke to her in hushed tones to make sure no one overheard their conversation "They must never forget who's in charge, if they start to see themselves as your equals, they will start to question why is it you who must rule above them and not the other way around, sooner than you think they will turn against you".

Her husband shared similar ideals, he believed that in order to have people under your grip you needed to be feared. 'It's better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both', was what he said to her when she asked him about the Reynes once. Myriah had really wanted to ask him about the deaths of her aunt and cousins then but she knew she wasn't going to be able to keep her temper in check if he dismissed their deaths in the same cold way.

Tywin Lannister loved his power and the only way he knew how to keep it was through fear, no matter how much he claimed that every act of cruelty he has ever committed for a reason and that it was necessary for the good of his house or the realm, the truth was that he loved the fear his acts of cruelty caused.

"Too much cruelty and the people will start to plot against you" she pointed out.

"People will always plot against you, it's because they are beneath you, they have to step over you in order to get out of the hole they are in, tell me girl, do think you can gain people's loyalty by being kind?, even the most loyal of dogs can turn against you if they smell weakness, that it's why you must give them a remainder from time to time of who is the master, too much kindness and they will stop seeing you as a figure of power".

Myriah later had talked about this with Genna, she was curious to see what her view on her brother's cruel ways was.

"He had to learn to be this way, his the eldest, on his shoulders lies the responsibility of protecting our house from those who seek to destroy us".

 _And yet he married a Martell_ , she thought to herself, finding the situation extremely ironic.

"Our father was a kind man" Genna continued "Quick to laugh, always eager to please others, he was also weak willed, slow to anger and quick to forgive, our vassals laughed at his back, at first at least, it got to the point where they started to laugh at his face, they called him the toothless lion, he almost brought an end to our house, if it wasn't for Tywin House Lannister would be nothing but ashes, he made people fear the Lannister name once again, I won't lie, I don't agree with all of his methods but sometimes cruelty is necessary, you are too young still, you will learned that lesson on your own eventually".

Myriah couldn't say she was surprised to see Genna agreeing with her brother, what did surprised and scared her was to find herself starting to agree with some parts too. If someone were to try to hurt her family, would she not feed them steel and fire?, she knew the answer very well, if someone tried to hurt those she loved she would destroy them without hesitation, did that made her just as bad as him?.

Myriah's hand reached to touch her necklace, an emerald pendant, Tywin gifted it to her on her name day, she had not been expecting anything from him but she was pleasantly surprised. She wondered if it was a coincidence that he happened to give her something she actually liked, or if he had help from Genna, somehow she could not picture him taking the time to bother with what she liked and what she did not liked, so she dismissed it as a mere coincidence. Nevertheless, she appreciated the gift.

Memories from the celebration of her name day came to her mind, she had actually enjoyed it, until that man came. Ser Gregor Clegane, the Mountain That Rides, or as her uncle liked to call him, Tywin's dog. She had felt so sick by the sight of him that she almost fainted, she then had to retire to her chambers and the celebration was ended. That was when the sickness started, she cursed the man –if you can call that a man– for it.

Myriah entered the gardens, she smiled when the warm rays of the sun touched her skin, this was the weather she liked. She inhaled deeply, her nose was filled by the sweet smell of the flowers, her previous sickness started to fade away.

Myriah was usually busy managing the household but some days, when she had a little bit of free time, she would either walk down the beach or come to the gardens, she preferred the gardens, it was her favorite place, at least in Casterly Rock, she had other favorite places back in Dorne, like the Water Gardens.

Here, she would often close her eyes and pretend she was back at her family's summer home. Myriah remembered every detail of it, the pale pink marble that paves the courtyard, the terraces overlooking the numerous pools and fountains, the orange trees. If she concentrated really hard, Myriah could almost hear the children's laughter as the ran around the place or played in the water.

The Water Gardens was built by Prince Maron Martell as a gift for his new bride, Princess Daenerys Targaryen, to mark the union of Dorne with the rest of the Seven Kingdoms. The Targaryen Princess initiated the tradition of hosting children from all stations and areas of Dorne, they were sent to there to foster, at first at had been a privilege reserved for children of noble birth, later the smallfolk were also included.

Myriah remembered playing with her brother on the fountains, eating orange pie, she smiled fondly at the memories. She sighed and quickly went back to her neutral state, there was no point in being nostalgic, Casterly Rock was her home now. She had come to the gardens to think, not to feel homesick, it had been a while since she felt this way.

Daemon noticed the sad look on her face, although she did her best to hide it, he figured that she was most likely remembering Dorne, or missing it rather. Myriah never showed any signs of being unhappy, especially not in front of her Lord husband but Daemon knew she wasn't happy.

Most people might just think she was simply quite, they didn't know her, nor like he did, she was quieter than her cousins, yes but she would also laugh and make jokes. Daemon had not seen her smile –truly smile– or laugh ever since she married the old lion.

Sometimes Daemon wished he could take her back to Dorne, she should be there taking her rightful place as her father's heiress, there she would have been able to choose anyone as her consort, someone that was willing to make her happy, someone like him.

Daemon scolded himself for thinking of that, he had sworn to himself that he would forget about his feelings, she was married now and it wasn't as if he ever had a chance, Myriah had always seen him as a friend, nothing more.

Myriah had always been unaware of Daemon's feelings, it was ironic considering how good she usually was at reading people. Her cousins had noticed, her uncle had noticed, even her father, which confused Daemon to no end.

Why send him to be her shield against the lions and not someone else?, someone that didn't have these feelings, was this to be his punishment for desiring her?, to watch her be unhappy in the arms of another man for the rest of his life, a man that didn't even care about her.

Or maybe that was the motive behind the Prince's decision, Daemon loved her and so he was willing to take his own life if she commanded it, that made him the perfect swornshield for her.

Still, sometimes it was painful to see her and know that she would never be his, right now was one of those moments.

Myriah was dressed in a orange dress, a Martell color, yet the style of the gown resembled something the lioness would wear, not her, that didn't make her look any less beautiful. Even in not one of her best moods she managed to shine as bright as the sun, putting to shame the beauty of the flowers around her.

Myriah looked at him and Daemon quickly averted his eyes, too late, he already had been caught staring.

"What?".

"Nothing" he shifted awkwardly in his feet.

Daemon look at her again, he found that she wasn't angry or annoyed, she was amused.

"You have been staring the whole morning".

"I'm supposed to watch over you".

"You're daydreaming".

"You're the one to talk" he scoffed "Do you want to talk about it or do I have to get Larra?" he joked, she glared at him playfully.

"Talk about what?".

"Why you're sad" she frowned and looked away.

"I'm the Lady of richest house in all Westeros, wife to the most powerful man in the Seven Kingdoms, what could I possibly be sad about?".

Daemon walked closer to her, watching her the whole time but she refused to meet his gaze, instead she look at the city.

"You miss Dorne, you want to be back" she said nothing "It is only natural".

"And pointless" she finally admitted.

"Sometimes we waste time thinking about the most pointless things".

"And what pointless things you think about?" she asked, looking at him again.

"I think only of serving you, my Lady" he bowed while smiling playfully.

"Always the faithful knight".

Myriah then returned her attention to the flowers. Daemon reached down and cut with his knife a yellow rose with red tips, he offered it to her. She eyed the flower and then look at him, she cocked an eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"You're destroying my garden".

"Smile, my Lady, it's a beautiful day, a couple of months with the lions and you already are looking as stern and stiff as your Lord husband".

She scolded at him, he really needed to behave, her husband already disliked him enough as it was, the last thing he needed was an excuse to get rid of him.

"You do realize you could lose your head for saying those kind of things, right?".

Daemon only shrugged casually. Myriah shook her head but couldn't help but smile at his careless behavior, he was always like this.

There it was, a genuine smile, although it was small it was enough to make his smile grow wider. Her smile faded away as a frown made its way into her face,

"What is it?" he asked her, confused by her sudden change of mood.

"I... I don't know... I feel..." she couldn't finish the sentence.

Thanks to Daemon quick reflexes Myriah didn't touch the floor, she was close but he still managed to catch her.

"Myriah?" the panic was clear in his voice, she suddenly looked so pale "Myriah?!" he shake her, she didn't respond.

Daemon carried her in his arms took her to her room, he saw Larra as he walked through the hallway, the girl went as pale as Myriah when she saw the unconscious Lady in the arms of the dornish knight.

"Get the Maester" he yelled at her.

Larra nodded and sprinted in the Maester's chambers direction. Daemon passed other servants, he supposed he should have told them to inform Lord Tywin but he didn't, all he cared was getting Myriah help and he knew they would run to their Lord anyway.

Maester Creylen was the Maester of Casterly Rock, Daemon didn't trust the man but then again, he didn't trust anyone that was loyal to the lions.

After a brief examination the man said that the Lady was well, only unconscious, Daemon wanted to strangle the old man, he already knew that, he was there when she fainted, he wanted to know why, he needed to know she was fine but there was very little the Maester could until Myriah regained consciousness.

Lord Tywin didn't take long to make an appearance, accompanied by his sister, that was when Daemon was dismissed, only Lady Genna bothered to acknowledge him by thanking him for his actions.

Daemon didn't want her gratitude, he only did what he was supposed to do but he had to bite his tongue and leave the room.

"What happened to her?" Tywin immediately demanded to know.

"She fainted, my Lord".

"I can see that, why did she faint?".

"I don't know, maybe it was the heat, the Lady seems to spend a lot of time in the gardens".

"She was born and raised in Dorne, she's use to a lot more heat than this" he was starting to lose his patience.

"Has she been eating enough?".

Tywin opened his mouth to answer the Maester's question but Genna spoke first.

"She has been skipping some of her meals recently".

Tywin turned to face his sister, he frowned.

"She also has been feeling sick, nauseous, I found her vomiting in her room a few days ago, I told her to go the Maester, she said she was going to, clearly she didn't".

"And why was I not informed of this before?".

A small moan came from the bed, they all turned their attention to Myriah. Genna walked closer and sat down next to her, she put a hand on her forehead.

When Myriah opened her eyes the first thing saw was the gentle smile of her sister-in-law. For a moment she looked confused, then she seemed to remember what happened and sighed.

"I fainted didn't I?".

"How are you feeling?".

"A little dizzy".

"I think you should rest, my Lady, perhaps I could suggest..." the Maester was cut by Tywin.

"Leave us".

Myriah look at her husband for the first time since she regained consciousness, he was angry, that was as clear as the day.

"Ty, she needs rest".

"All of you" he shoot an icy glare to his sister. She hesitated for a moment, then she nodded.

Seeing Genna's apologetic look she knew the reason of her dear husband's splendid mood. Once they were alone Tywin walked closer to the bed, Myriah sat up, she felt so small with him towering over her.

"Why didn't you tell me?".

"Tell you what?".

"Do not play fool with me, girl, you know very well what I'm talking about, are you pregnant?".

 _Straight to the point then_ , she thought.

Tywin had noticed certain changes in her body, he didn't want to get false hopes, he trusted that if indeed she was pregnant she would tell him but she seemed more interest in hiding it, was she planning to get rid of the child?, did she hated him that much?.

Myriah paused for a moment, choosing her words carefully.

"I'm not sure".

"You could have gone to Maester Creylen, then you would have been sure but you didn't".

"I was busy with other things".

"Yet you manage to find time to surround yourself by commoners" she clenched her jaw, a recent habit she seemed to have got from him.

Back in Dorne Myriah would often go to the market and talk to the people, especially the children, she would sometime give them food, she did it because she like it and her people loved her for that, because she treated them like people and not animals, it was only reasonable that she tried to do the same with her new people, her husband didn't agree on that.

Tywin didn't like her insistence on leaving the safety of castle to go befriend what, to him, where a bunch of sheeps. She had tried to explain to him that she simply wished for the people to get to know their Lady, he didn't listen.

He was so used to control everyone around him but he couldn't always control her, Myriah knew it angered him how little his cold glares affected her. With time she had grew used to his sometimes harsh attitude, she also grew more and more indifferent to it, why should affect her?, she didn't expect his love, there was no reason for her to go and weep in her bed because her cold-hearted husband was everything but loving.

What did bother her was the fact that she was condemned to this life, this loveless marriage, she would never knew true love, if that even existed. Tywin continuously tried to dominate her, to bend her to his will, while Myriah tried to do the same, it was extremely entertaining, at least to her. This she enjoyed, their little game, the mighty lion would roar and bare his teeth, while the viper casted her spell of lust and seduction.

Eventually she ended up getting her way, to a certain degree. Myriah was allowed to leave the castle but only for very short periods of time and only with at least two Lannister guards, besides Daemon, it was the best she had managed to _persuade_ him without getting into an argument, he still wasn't pleased though.

Myriah took a deep breath, she usually tried –and sometimes failed– to cause the less fights as she could, some fights ended in the bed, in others she ended coming to the gardens, to calm herself. Sometimes she was so tempted to grab her dagger and end this, but his death would bring her no good, not right now anyway.

She got up from the bed, she walked slowly toward him, until she was only a few inches from him. He could feel the heat of her body, she was always warm, as if it was fire and not blood that ran through her veins.

Tywin would never admit it but sometimes he found himself enjoying submitting to her charms, sometimes he thought she truly was a viper, her poison swept through his veins and threatening to drive him mad but he would not submit, not to her not to anyone and so the game goes on.

"You are right husband, I should have went to Maester Creylen earlier" she grabbed his hand, she was half expecting him to pull away but he didn't "I won't lie, I have my doubts at first" she put his hand over her belly "But I know now that I'm carrying a little lion and it fills me with so much joy, I hope it pleases you too".

She would have smiled but she had learned that he mistrusted smiles and laughter. Tywin was tempted to believe her, she truly seemed happy at the prospect of a child.

For a moment he say nothing, he just watched her carefully. Tywin realized it was getting harder to tell when she was lying and he knew it was because deep down he wanted to trust in her, he couldn't live the rest of his life doubting his wife's intentions, he already had so many enemies, he couldn't fight another one in his bed.

Out of sudden he pulled away and turned towards the door.

"Pregnant or not you will allow Maester Creylen to examine you, and it's not a suggestion" he shoot her one last look before leaving the room.

There it was, the cold tone again, if she pushed to far he would always pull back from her. Sometimes she was tempted to believe he was made of ice but he proved her wrong everytime they were in bed.

Myriah put a hand where his hand had been before and stroked her belly gently. Perhaps a child would bring him closer to her but if she gave him the boy he so desperately needed, would he then cast her aside?.

* * *

 _Author's Note_

 _I added and changed a few things in the first chapters, minor things, you might not even notice what's new but for those of you that have been here from the moment I posted the first chapter, I recommend to reread the story from the beginning._

 _Also I started classes again so I'm definitly not going to be able to update every week as I first intended but I'm NOT abandoning the story. I've already planned how it's going to end, I'm just still deciding what's going to happen and what not in the middle._

 _ _In case someone is wondering, the only siblings of Tywin that will be on this story are Kevan and Genna and by the way, does anyone else thinks that Megan Follows, a.k.a. Queen Catherine from Reign, would have been an amazing Genna Lannister? whenever I write Genna I picture her, I don't know, maybe it's just me.__

HPuni101 _I guess you will have to keep reading :)_

klo _Tywin would do_ _spontaneous combustion from the anger if she did that LOL  
_

calh _I'm glad you're liking their interactions, it's not exactly easy to write someone like Tywin and do him justice, I'm not ashamed to recognized my writing is not nearly as good as George R. R. Martin, one can only hope to one day write a masterpiece like A Song Of Ice And Fire._

gunbae _I think deep down Tywin hopes that too *laugh* she definitely would be easier to control if she was a love sick girl, but let's not underestimate the Martell's hatred_.

 _I'm loving all your reviews, I can't believe this story has so many follows already. Thank you for reading this story, it really means a lot to me._

 _As always any constructive criticism is more than welcomed._

 _ _Fun fact: yellow roses with red tips_ _symbolized_ _friendship and falling in love or falling in love with your best friend. I'm just going to throw that out there and leave.__

 _Have a nice day/night xoxoxo_


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